Is it possible to eat less and feel full? Most of us enjoy eating as much as we can. But in recent days, people have started to realize that it would be better to cut down on the intake of large quantities of starchy food. When they actually try to eat less, they find that they feel hungry all the time and are unable to continue with their diet. Very few actually continue to eat smaller portions of food and revert to their old ways of stuffing themselves with high calorie foods.
Dieticians have come up with some ways to make us feel full by telling us when to eat, what to eat and how to eat less without feeling starved. They point out that the brain gets the signal that the stomach is full only after twenty minutes and if we eat too quickly, we will continue to feel that our stomachs are empty leading to overeating.
Send the Right Signals to Your Brain
- Eat slowly and chew properly. Remember it takes 20 minutes for the brain to realize that the stomach is full. So no matter what you eat, make sure you eat slowly and chew properly to prolong the eating time.
- Eat a plate of salad 10 minutes before your main meal so that by the time you finish your meal, you will feel full. If you get bored of chewing salads, you can opt for vegetable broths. You can also try a variation of salads. Try making cubes of vegetables, changing the dressing (make sure you choose a healthy low cal dressing), mixing fruits with vegetables or having a sprouted salad.
- Eat frequently and avoid skipping meals. If you happen to skip a meal, there are chances that you would overeat in the next meal. Eat in small intervals (every 2 to 3 hours) as this will help you not feel overly hungry at meal time. Also, digesting those few calories which you took as your mid-meal would rewire the body to remain active and burn some additional calories.
- Finishing everything on the plate is often a sign of fullness. So, eat in a smaller plate and the visual cue would signal to your brain that you have eaten a plate full of food.
- Eat the entire fruit rather than juice as fruit juices are stripped off of fiber. A whole fruit contains both water and fiber that can make you feel satisfied that you have consumed sufficient volume of food.
Fibrous Foods That Make You Full
Some foods are high in fiber and give the feeling of satiety, although they supply the body with 20 percent fewer calories than low fiber foods. Fibrous foods -- such as whole grains, fruits and vegetables -- force you to chew harder and longer than fiber-free foods, such as chips or donuts. They stay longer in the stomach and help you feel less hungry before your next meal.
Replacing some processed foods can help you increasing the fiber in your diet. For example, replace the usual pasta with with whole wheat pasta, the usual bread with oats or whole wheat bread, refined flour with whole wheat flour (adding bran to it will further increase the fiber content), the usual white polished rice with brown rice, and corn flakes in your breakfast cereal with wheat flakes or muesli. High fiber foods that you should be aware of are:
- Whole grains such as oats, whole wheat products, brown rice, bran, bajra (pearl millet).
- Fruits like oranges, apples, pears, guavas, sweet lime, lemons, grapefruit, berries, pomegranates.
- Vegetables such as spinach, fenugreek, broccoli, cabbage, asparagus, capsicum, carrots, pumpkin, gourds.
Fruits and vegetables are not only rich in fiber, but they also are good in their water content, which makes them low calorie foods. This helps in weight loss and keeps you full for longer at the expense of fewer calorie intake.
Other Satiating Healthy Food
Other foods that give a feeling of fullness are lean proteins and healthy fats. Researches suggest that proteins have a very good satiety quotient, so make sure you consume some lean (low fat) protein through skimmed milk, low fat dairy products (like low fat curds, milk powders etc), white meats, baked fish, egg whites, beans, legumes, sprouts and lentils.
Although we avoid as much visible fat from our diet as possible, but you sure can include some healthy fat through various nuts and seeds which are otherwise also rich in fiber, protein and important vitamins and minerals. These nuts contain omega 3 fatty acids, which have beneficial effect on heart and overall health. Using limited quantity of olive oil, mustard seed oil, and other PUFA (polyunsaturated fatty acid) vegetable oils will also help the overall well-being.
Healthy Snacks Options
All snacks do not come under junk food. Some are high in nutrition and provide low calories. They can be taken in between meals to prevent us from feeling hungry. Examples of such mid-meal snacks are:
- Unsalted popcorn
- One or two oats cookies
- Multigrain biscuits
- A small bowl of puffed rice
- Nutritional snack bar
- Fruit juice without sugar
- Roasted channa
- Steamed corn
- Butter milk
- Raw mango pannah during summer
- Wheat rusk
- Corn on cob
Conscious choice of food prevents you from feeling guilty about eating and snacking at regular intervals, throughout the day. They give the satisfaction of eating and enjoying a variety of tasty food, supply you with energy all through your work and put an end to the feeling of being starved and craving for food.
